#went into my usual hyper mode to finish up today and am currently on my 12th hour straight at my desk

[cantquitu]

Little Miss and Squirt are proud of you.

AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!!!!!! <3

[lickstynine]

(rumbleriot) i'd really love to see 'let me help you' with a pairing that has tense chemistry? like rivals, two characters who usually dislike one another, or who have a strictly professional relationship - if you're not already overwhelmed, please?

So I made some new characters cause I loved this prompt but didn’t have anyone who fit it well.

Setting: an unspecified made up tech company in some big city

Characters:

Brennan Wright

23, trans male (pre-everything but out and presenting male at work), 5'5", average lean build, short brown hair, hazel eyes. Smart but disorganized. Believes in being yourself even if nobody else likes it.

Valentin Von Bothmer

29, cis male, 6'0", thin athletic build, sleek black hair, blue eyes. Brennan’s boss and son of the company’s current CEO. Probably gonna be the next CEO. Super perfectionist. Slight German accent.

———————

“Hey, sorry I’m late, traffic was the worst, but… I brought coffee.” Brennan grinned sheepishly, holding up a stack of Starbucks drink carriers, as if this wasn’t the third time in a week he’d come in late. There hadn’t been traffic, he’d just hit the snooze button a few too many times, hence why his hair was unbrushed and he was still wearing the sweatpants and t-shirt he’d slept in.

The secretary gave him a sympathetic smile, accepting one of the paper cups he offered. “You’ll want to hurry, sweetie. Your meeting started five minutes ago.”

Brennan nearly dropped the rest of the coffees he was carrying. “Shit.” He’d been hoping he would at least have time to change into the spare clothes he kept under his desk, but that time had passed while he was sitting in his car finishing his chocolate croissant.

He rushed down the hall, nearly bumping into a mousy intern as she got off the elevator. Handing her an apology coffee, Brennan furiously jammed at the 5 button until the elevator started moving. He awkwardly shifted the tray of cups onto one arm, digging in his bag to make sure he at least had the thumb drive with his presentation on it. He was already going to be in trouble for being late and unsightly - if he showed up without the project he was supposed to submit, he would probably be fired on the spot.

The meeting was well underway by the time Brennan showed up, and he slinked into the room just as one of his coworkers closed their PowerPoint. Every eye in the room was boring into him, especially those of his boss. Valentin Von Bothmer was not a patient or lenient man, and being surrounded by his own superiors did nothing to lighten his mood. He watched like a hawk as his awkward subordinate shuffled in, waving to the table of suits and a few of his colleagues sitting in the back corner.

Setting down the trays of Starbucks he’d brought, Brennan stood up straight, clearing his throat and doing his best to speak in his lowest chest voice. He didn’t mind talking normally around his coworkers, but he always felt like an imposter around unfamiliar men. “Sorry I’m late, gentlemen, I brought this as an apology.”

“We have a coffeemaker in the office.” Valentin replied coldly. “Next time, don’t be sorry, be punctual.” It seemed like he was even stiffer and grouchier than usual, but that might have just been Brennan’s anxious imagination. “Luckily for you, Johnson here has just finished disappointing us, so if your project is actually good, you may be able to somewhat redeem yourself.”

Brennan nodded hastily, flashing a brief sympathetic glance at Johnson, who was wilting in his seat. He pulled his laptop out of his bag, plugging in the thumb drive and hooking it up to the projector. To his relief, there was a desk for him to stand behind that hid his sweatpants - definitely a point in his favor. As he pulled up his own presentation, the bigwigs at the table helped themselves to the coffee he’d brought, and Brennan relaxed a little. He was confident in his project, so as long as the bosses didn’t go into it hating his guts, he was pretty sure he’d be fine.

Valentin couldn’t decide whether he was pleased or pissed with how well Brennan’s project went over. On one hand, it infuriated him that the younger man’s talents allowed him to get away with being lazy, flakey, and generally unprofessional. At the same time, Johnson’s presentation had absolutely bombed, and Valentin could feel the chill of his father’s steely gaze from the head of the table; if both of his employees failed, it definitely wouldn’t reflect well on him.

He glared at the projector screen, struggling to actually listen closely - normally he was hyper-aware of his surroundings, but right now, it was all he could do to sit up straight and look presentable. He’d had a pounding headache since he woke up, and the bitter taste of coffee coated his tongue in a way that wouldn’t go away no matter how much water he drank. When Brennan finished speaking, the men around the table clapped, and Valentin nearly deflated with relief. His face stayed steely, but he gave his subordinate a brief approving nod as Brendan shuffled off to sit by Johnson, and another team’s representative came up to present.

Now that his own ass wasn’t on the line, Valentin didn’t even try to listen to the rest of the demonstrations. He retreated into what he called low-power mode - looking as stern as ever while his brain was entirely turned off. It was only the clap of his father’s hand on his shoulder that told him the meeting was over. He stood up at once, turning to lock eyes with the hard-faced older man.

“Your second boy did well. His project was one of the best we saw. He’s one of your new ones, yes?”

“Er… yes. Yes, sir.” Valentin had to think a moment before he replied, but he nodded hastily. He wasn’t sure if it was nerves or just his headache, but the room seemed to be wobbling around him, and he rested a surreptitious hand on the back of his chair for support. “I am… so sorry about his tardiness. It will not happen again.”

Konrad Von Bothmer just shrugged. “That is not too big a deal. Just make sure he wears real clothes next time.”

Valentin nodded, his cheeks burning red even though he hadn’t done anything wrong himself. “Yes, sir. Of course, sir. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

“No, not yet. I want to look over the best few projects myself, see which one I like the most. Tell your boy I want a copy of his work on my desk within the hour.”

“Yes, sir. Right away.” Valentin hurried off to where the lower-ranking employees were huddled in the hall, waiting for the elevator down. “Wright. I want to see you now.”

Brennan’s heart nearly stopped in his chest. He thought he’d actually managed to pull off the presentation, but now he was less sure. The earlier fears of a lecture had come back tenfold, and he was just praying he would only be put on probation, rather than fired.

“What… what is it, Mr. Von Bothmer?” He asked, his voice wobbling up into a higher range.

“Your project, you have it all on your flash drive, yes?”

Brennan nodded, images flashing through his head of his boss stomping the little plastic storage unit to pieces. “Yes, I do. Right here.” He pulled the thumb drive from his pocket, holding it out so Valentin could take it if he wanted.

“Good. Take it down to the printers. My father wants a full copy as soon as possible.”

Relief washed over Brennan, followed by a little lurch of joy. The CEO wanted to look at his project? It took all his self-control to not shriek with excitement. “Yes, sir. I’ll go do that now, sir.”

As the younger man turned back towards the elevators, Valentin’s hand stopped him. “Oh, and Wright? When you’re done with that, I want to see you in my office.”

————���——

Brennan could feel his heart trying to smash through his ribs as he walked back to the elevator from the senior Von Bothmer’s office. He went down a few floors to Valentin’s level, chewing his lip nervously as he shuffled down the hall. The door was closed, as always, so he rapped lightly on the sleek, dark wood.

“Come in.” Valentin was sitting at his desk, stirring but not drinking a fresh cup of coffee. The conference room had been dim, to better show the projected presentations, but in the bright light of the office, Brennan couldn’t help but notice his boss looked a little pale and tired.

Of course, even at his worst, Valentin was worlds more sightly than Brennan - he had one of those unfairly pretty faces, with striking blue-grey eyes, full lips, and high cheekbones, the kind of face that could model if it wanted to. Brendan was always a little jealous of how well his boss pulled off feminine features, but it didn’t change the fact that Valentin looked less perfect than usual today.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Brendan ventured, hovering over the chair opposite Valentin’s desk.

“I did. Take a seat.” Valentin stood up from his own chair, fighting a brief wave of vertigo and moving to sit on the front edge of his desk. This way, he loomed over Brendan rather than being at eye level, and it allowed him to speak more softly and still be heard. “You did fairly good work today. However, being gifted does not mean you have the right to slack and slouch about like  you own the company.”

Brennan nodded, fear growing and clawing in his chest. “I know. I’m sorry, sir.”

“Apologies are a lovely formality, Wright, but you aren’t in college anymore. You can’t waltz in twenty minutes late with coffee, wearing pajamas and hoping there will be some extra credit to make up for what you missed. If you show up underdressed or late again, I will be demoting you, and Aya can have your position. She’s nearly run her course as an intern anyway.”

Ice filled Brennan’s veins, and he nodded hastily, even as fear flipped his stomach. “Yes, sir. I understand. It won’t happen again.”

“Good. Now, I want you to start… to start…” Valentin was struggling to finish his sentence, as another wave of vertigo made him wobble against the desk.

Brennan frowned, surprised and confused. He’d never seen his boss waver before, and it was both strange and deeply worrying. “Are you okay, sir?”

“I am fine. We are here to talk about you.” Valentin replied sternly. “I was saying that you are to keep working on your project while my father looks over your current draft. Make notes of anything you can improve, and anything you’d like to add. This… uh… That way, you’ll be on top of things if he picks yours to work from.”

Valentin’s gaze was fuzzy behind his glasses, and Brennan couldn’t help but be concerned. Even though his boss scared the crap out of him, Brennan certainly didn’t wish ill on the guy. He tentatively leaned forward, “Mr. Von Bothmer, I’m happy to do that, but I really don’t think you’re okay. You look… like, gray. It’s not good.”

“I told you,” Valentin huffed, “I am fine!” Even as he said it, he teetered, and his clammy hands slipped on the edge of the desk, sending him sliding towards the floor.

“Whoa!” Brennan instinctively reached out, steadying the older man by his shoulders. Now that they were touching, he could feel the heat absolutely radiating off Valentin. “Holy shit… I mean, oh crap… Mr. Von Bothmer, you’re burning up.”

“Get off of me!” Valentin forced himself to stand, stiffening his posture as best he could. “I’ve told you twice now that I am alright. I just need to lower the thermostat in here.”

Brennan couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation. “Look, I know you really care about your image and all of that, but I’m the last guy to worry about being professional with. The door is closed, there’s no one in the room but us, and you look ready to keel over. Please, let me help you.”

Valentin felt a strange jolt in his chest. He was silent for a long moment, his head pounding and his vision wavering. He didn’t want to admit that he was unwell, even to himself, much less his least favourite employee. He opened his mouth to say no, but couldn’t force the word out. In the end, he just sighed, hanging his head to avoid eye contact.

“If you must. But if you tell anyone you saw me like this, or that I let you take care of me, you’re fired.“